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United States Patent |
5,577,609
|
Hexter, Jr.
|
November 26, 1996
|
Two-part articles, including hinged articles
Abstract
Various two-part articles, such as metal trading cards, which safely and
advantageously combine a metal substrate having front and rear sides, and
an insert sheet made of metal, glass or plastic. In some embodiments, both
the metal substrate and a metal insert sheet are embossed. The metal
substrate includes a central main portion, four edge marginal portions
terminating in respective substrate edges, and four corner marginal
portions. The marginal portions surround the central main portion, sharing
respective boundaries therewith, and are rolled towards the substrate rear
side and around such that the substrate edges contact the insert sheet so
as to hold the insert sheet in position. The rolled marginal portions
together define a continuous bead around the periphery of the card without
any exposed sharp edges. In some embodiments the rolled edges are replaced
by hinge sleeves. Thus, specific embodiments include a greeting card
having two elements joined by a hinge, and a gift greeting box with an
insert sheet in the cover, with a hinge joining the cover to a receptacle
base.
Inventors:
|
Hexter, Jr.; Peter K. (Wilmington, NC)
|
Assignee:
|
CUI, Inc. (Wilmington, NC)
|
Appl. No.:
|
477747 |
Filed:
|
June 7, 1995 |
Current U.S. Class: |
206/449; 40/791; 206/454; 220/529; 428/14; 428/542.4 |
Intern'l Class: |
B65D 085/48; G09F 001/12 |
Field of Search: |
206/449,454,485,425
220/528,529,533,527
40/768,780,791,124.1
428/13,14,542.4
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
782199 | Feb., 1905 | Keplinger.
| |
1117085 | Nov., 1914 | Potts | 40/124.
|
1904318 | Apr., 1933 | Lehere | 40/791.
|
1924429 | Aug., 1933 | Winzeler | 428/14.
|
2113871 | Apr., 1938 | Bozung | 40/154.
|
2979224 | Apr., 1961 | Henchert.
| |
3516597 | Jun., 1970 | Bigelow.
| |
4125655 | Nov., 1978 | Kanzelberger.
| |
4291798 | Sep., 1981 | Transport | 40/124.
|
4309835 | Jan., 1982 | Naeve | 40/124.
|
4436776 | Mar., 1984 | Wojcik | 428/14.
|
4515838 | May., 1985 | Miyajima | 428/14.
|
4624875 | Nov., 1986 | Watanabe et al. | 428/14.
|
4767647 | Aug., 1988 | Bree | 428/14.
|
4779752 | Oct., 1988 | Vallee et al.
| |
5010673 | Apr., 1991 | Connor et al.
| |
5215792 | Jun., 1993 | Miller | 428/14.
|
5270101 | Dec., 1993 | Helicher | 428/542.
|
5339547 | Aug., 1994 | Fogel | 40/124.
|
5363964 | Nov., 1994 | Hexter, Jr. | 206/449.
|
5433980 | Jul., 1995 | Auld et al. | 428/13.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
755122 | Nov., 1933 | FR.
| |
102959 | Jan., 1924 | CH.
| |
453194 | Nov., 1936 | GB.
| |
Other References
International Search Report (European Patent Office) mailed 6 Feb. 1995 in
PCT/US94/10147.
|
Primary Examiner: Gehman; Bryon P.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Carter & Schnedler, P.A.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/304,526, filed
Sep. 12, 1994, entitled "Dual-Medium Articles, Including Hinged Articles,"
which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.
08/121,267, filed Sep. 14, 1993, entitled "Embossed Metal Trading Card and
Container Therefor," now U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,964.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A two-part article comprising:
a polygonal metal substrate having a front side, a rear side, a main
portion, a plurality of edge marginal portions terminating in respective
substrate edges, a plurality of corner marginal portions, said edge
marginal portions and said corner marginal portions surrounding said main
portion and sharing respective boundaries with said main portion, and
substrate indicia on said front side;
an insert sheet adjacent said rear side, said insert sheet being made of a
material selected from the group consisting of metal, glass and plastic,
and having an exposed side facing away from said rear side;
said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions being rolled
towards said rear side such that said substrate edges contact said exposed
side of said insert sheet so as to retain said insert sheet in position;
and
said rolled edge marginal portions and said rolled corner marginal portions
together defining a continuous bead around the periphery of said article
without any exposed sharp edges.
2. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, comprising a rectangular
metal substrate having four edge marginal portions and four corner
marginal portions.
3. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, which comprises a
metallic trading card.
4. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, which comprises a
bookmark.
5. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, which is formed from a
flat blank wherein said corner marginal portions have concave cutouts to
avoid interference when said side marginal portions are rolled.
6. A two-part article in accordance with claim 4, wherein each of said
corner marginal portions has material remaining between the respective
concave cutout and the boundary shared by the corner marginal portion and
said main portion.
7. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said substrate
main portion has embossed areas.
8. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert sheet
comprises metal and has embossed areas.
9. A two-part article in accordance with claim 7, wherein said insert sheet
comprises metal and has embossed areas.
10. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert
sheet comprises polished metal.
11. A two-part article in accordance with claim 10, wherein said inset
sheet comprises mirrored polished metal.
12. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert
sheet comprises mirrored glass.
13. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert
sheet comprises glass with indicia printed thereon.
14. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert
sheet comprises plastic and has embossed areas.
15. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert
sheet comprises plastic with indicia printed thereon.
16. A boxed set comprising:
a plurality of metallic trading cards, each orientable so as to have a
lower edge and two side edges, and each of said metallic trading cards
comprising
a generally rectangular metal substrate having a front side, a rear side, a
main portion, four edge marginal portions terminating in respective
substrate edges, four corner marginal portions, said edge marginal
portions and said corner marginal portions surrounding said main portion
and sharing respective boundaries with said main portion, and substrate
indicia on said front side,
an insert sheet adjacent said rear side, said insert sheet being made of a
material selected from the group consisting of metal, glass, and plastic,
and having an exposed side facing away from said rear side,
said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions being rolled
towards said rear side such that said substrate edges contract said
exposed side of said insert sheet so as to retain said insert sheet in
position, and
said rolled edge marginal portions and said rolled corner marginal portions
together defining a continuous bead around the periphery of said card
without any exposed sharp edges; and
a storage tin for said trading cards, said storage tin including a
generally rectangular receptacle having a bottom and four upright sides; a
cover for said receptacle; a lower card support member in said receptacle
on the bottom thereof, said lower card support member having a plurality
of channels for receiving the lower edges of said trading cards; and a
pair of side card support members in said receptacle along two opposite
sides thereof, said side card support members having corresponding
pluralities of channels for receiving the side edges of said trading
cards.
17. A foldable article comprising a pair of polygonal article elements
joined by a hinge, each of said article elements comprising:
a polygonal metal substrate having an outer side, an inner side, a main
portion, a plurality of edge marginal portions terminating in respective
substrate edges, and a plurality of corner marginal portions, said edge
marginal portions and said corner marginal portions surrounding said main
portion and sharing respective boundaries with said main portion,
an insert sheet adjacent said inner side, said insert sheet being made of a
material selected from the group consisting of metal, glass and plastic,
and having an exposed side facing away from said inner side,
at least a portion of one of said edge marginal portions including an
element of said hinge,
the others of said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions
being rolled towards said inner side such that said substrate edges
terminating the others of said edge margin portions contact said exposed
side of said insert sheet so as to retain said insert sheet in position,
and
said rolled edge marginal portions and said rolled corner marginal portions
together defining a continuous bead without any exposed sharp edges.
18. An article in accordance with claim 17, comprising a pair of
rectangular article elements, each having four edge marginal portions and
four corner marginal portions.
19. A foldable article in accordance with claim 17, wherein:
the elements of said hinge included on each of said article elements
comprise sleeve elements formed in said at least a portion of one of said
edge marginal portions;
sleeve elements of one of said article elements are interdigitated and
aligned with sleeve elements of the other of said article elements; and
said hinge comprises a hinge pin positioned within the aligned sleeve
elements.
20. A foldable article in accordance with claim 17, which comprises a
greeting card.
21. A container comprising:
a generally rectangular metal receptacle having a bottom and four upright
sides having respective upper edges;
a generally rectangular two-part cover having one edge joined by a hinge to
the upper edge of one of said upright sides, said cover comprising:
a generally rectangular metal substrate having a top side, a bottom side, a
main portion, four edge marginal portions terminating in respective
substrate edges, four corner marginal portions, said edge marginal
portions and said corner marginal portions surrounding said main portion
and sharing respective boundaries with said main portion, and substrate
indicia on said top side,
an insert sheet adjacent said bottom side, said insert sheet being made of
a material selected from the group consisting of metal, glass and plastic,
and having an exposed side facing away from said bottom side,
at least a portion of one of said edge marginal portions including an
element of said hinge,
the others of said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions
being rolled towards said bottom side such that said substrate edges
terminating the others of said edge marginal portions contact said exposed
side of said insert sheet so as to retain said insert sheet in position,
said rolled edge marginal portions and said rolled corner marginal portions
together defining a continuous bead without any exposed sharp edges; and
another element of said hinge being included in at least a portion of said
upper edge of said one of said upright sides of said receptacle.
22. A container in accordance with claim 21, wherein:
the element of said hinge included on said cover comprises sleeve elements
formed in said at least a portion of one of said edge marginal portions;
said another element of said hinge included on said receptacle comprises
sleeve elements formed in said at least a portion of said upper edge;
sleeve elements of said cover are interdigitated and aligned with sleeve
elements of said receptacle; and
said hinge comprises a hinge pin positioned within the aligned sleeve
elements.
23. A container in accordance with claim 21, which comprises a gift
greeting box.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to two-part articles, which advantageously
and safely combine two parts of sheet material, one part of metal, and the
other of metal, glass or plastic.
One embodiment of the invention more particularly relates to polygonal
two-part articles, such as collectible trading cards (e.g. baseball
trading cards), bookmarks, and similar articles, of various sizes and
shapes.
Traditionally, collectible trading cards have been made of thin cardboard,
with a photograph on one side, and information printed on the other side.
Recently, for permanency and enhancement of appearance, it has been
proposed to make such cards of lithographed sheet metal, for example as is
disclosed in Miller U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,792. A disadvantage, recognized in
the above-referenced Miller patent, is that a raw piece of sheet metal
contains sharp edges and corners which would make such a piece unsafe for
use as a trading card. In view of this, Miller proposes a construction
wherein the edges are folded to form flat hems presenting radiused
surfaces at least on the outer edges of the card, leaving unfolded edges
only at the corners, which unfolded edges are short in length.
Another disadvantage of the card construction disclosed in the
above-referenced Miller patent is that the malleable characteristic of
metal is not fully utilized for maximum decorative effect. This, while
Miller provides a raised framing border, central regions of the card are
unembossed. In general, decorative raised surface embossing on the front
of the card would result in relatively unattractive depressions on the
rear side, which depressions moreover likely would not correspond or align
with indicia such as writing on the rear side.
In my above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,964, there is disclosed a
metallic trading card construction which combines an embossed metal front
with a rear insert sheet made for example of cardboard. The rear insert
sheet is retained by rolled edges of the metal front and, among other
functions, conceals depressions on the rear side of the metal front piece
resulting from decorative raised surface embossing. Further, high quality
printing is possible on paper-based materials such as cardboard.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Very briefly, the present invention provides various articles of enhanced
appearance in which an embossed metal substrate sheet is safely combined
with an insert sheet. The insert sheet conceals rear-side depressions
resulting from embossing of the metal substrate sheet, and itself may be
an embossed metal insert sheet. By way of example, the insert sheet may
comprise metal, metal with printed indicia, metal with printed indicia and
embossing, polished metal, mirror-like polished metal, glass, mirrored
glass, glass with indicia printed thereon, or plastic. A plastic insert
sheet may have printed indicia thereon, with or without embossing. Good
quality indicia printing is possible on all of these materials.
In one embodiment, a two-part article, such as a metal trading card, takes
the form of a polygonal metal substrate having front and rear sides, a
main portion, four edge marginal portions terminating in respective
substrate edges and four corner marginal portions. The edge marginal
portions and the corner marginal portions surround the main portion and
share respective boundaries with the main portion. Substrate indicia is
printed on the front side. Preferably, the substrate main portion has
embossed areas which serve as design elements.
Adjacent the substrate rear side is an insert sheet which is made of metal,
glass or plastic, with an exposed side which faces away from the substrate
rear side. Advantageously, the insert sheet, if made of metal or plastic,
may also be embossed.
To complete the construction, the edge marginal portions and the corner
marginal portions of the metal substrate are rolled towards the substrate
rear side and around such that the substrate edges contact the exposed
side of the insert sheet so as to retain the insert sheet in position. The
rolled edge marginal portions and the rolled corner marginal portions
together define a continuous bead around the periphery of the card without
any exposed sharp edges.
The two-part metallic article of the invention preferably is formed from a
flat blank wherein the corner marginal portions have concave cutouts to
avoid interference when the side marginal portions are rolled. However,
each of the corner marginal portions has material remaining between its
respective concave cutout and the boundary shared by the corner marginal
portion and the main portion, which remaining material facilitates the
forming of the continuous and smooth bead even around the corners of the
finished article.
In another embodiment of the invention, a foldable article such as a
greeting card is provided, comprising a pair of two-part elements joined
by a hinge, each with a retained insert sheet. In another embodiment, the
cover of a container has rolled edges which retain an insert sheet, and
the cover is hinged to a receptacle. The invention is applicable to many
other products, such as post cards and book covers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity
in the appended claims, the invention, both as to organization and
content, will be better understood and appreciated, along with other
objects and features thereof, from the following detailed description
taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a front view of a metallic article in the representative form of
a metallic trading card in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the metallic card of FIG. 1, but omitting the
insert sheet for purposes of illustration;
FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2, but with the insert
sheet in place;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail generally of the upper left corner of FIG. 2,
but with the cardboard insert sheet in place, and indicia on the insert
sheet;
FIG. 4A is a further enlarged section taken on line 4A--4A of FIG. 4
showing corner details;
FIG. 5 depicts a flat blank representing an initial step in the fabrication
process;
FIG. 6 depicts a subsequent step in the fabrication process where edge and
corner marginal portions have been bent towards the substrate rear side;
FIG. 7 is an end view on line 7--7 of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 depicts another subsequent step in the fabrication process wherein
the rear side insert sheet is being positioned, prior to completing the
rolling of the marginal portions;
FIG. 9 depicts a boxed set of metallic trading cards;
FIG. 10 is an exploded view of card support members included within the
storage tin of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional view of a foldable metallic article in the
representative form of a greeting card in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the greeting card of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the hinge portion of the greeting card of
FIG. 11;
FIG. 14 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the greeting card of FIG.
11 when closed;
FIG. 15 is a fragmentary section taken on line 15--15 of FIG. 14;
FIG. 16 is a section taken on line 16--16 of FIG. 13;
FIG. 17 is a section taken on line 17--17 of FIG. 13;
FIG. 18 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 18--18 of FIG. 11,
with the hinge pin shown in full;
FIG. 19 is a front view of a metallic article in the representative form of
a bookmark in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 20 is a rear view of the bookmark of FIG. 19;
FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken on line 21--21 of FIG. 20;
FIG. 22 is a three-dimensional view of a metallic container in the
representative form of a gift greeting box in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 23 is an exploded plan view of the gift greeting box of FIG. 22 in its
open position;
FIG. 24 is a plan view of the gift greeting box of FIG. 22 in its closed
position;
FIG. 25 is a three-dimensional view of the receptacle portion of the gift
greeting box of FIG. 22 during an intermediate step in the fabrication
process;
FIG. 26 is a three-dimensional view similar to that of FIG. 25, but with
hinge sleeves formed;
FIG. 27 is a section taken on line 27--27 of FIG. 24;
FIG. 28 is a section taken on line 28--28 of FIG. 24; and
FIG. 29 is a section taken on line 29--29 of FIG. 24.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-4 depict a two-part article in the
representative form of a metallic trading card 10 in accordance with the
invention except that, for convenience of illustration, the insert sheet
is omitted from FIG. 2. FIGS. 5-8 depict various intermediate steps in the
process of fabricating the card 10 of FIGS. 1-4. Various elements of the
card 10 are referred to hereinbelow both with reference to FIGS. 1-4 and
with reference to FIGS. 5-8.
The trading card 10 includes a generally rectangular metal substrate 12
having a front side 14 (FIG. 1) and a rear side 16 (FIG. 2). The substrate
12 is formed from a generally rectangular flat sheet metal blank 18,
represented in FIG. 5.
The substrate 12 includes a central main portion 20, which comprises most,
but not all, of the portion visible in FIG. 1. In FIG. 5, the central main
portion 20 is within a phantom boundary line 22. It will be appreciated
that the boundary 22 depicted in phantom in FIG. 5 is not actually
physically present in the blank 18; rather, the boundary 22 coincides
generally with subsequent bends as the card 10 is formed from the blank
18.
As is also best seen in FIG. 5, surrounding the central main portion 20 are
four edge marginal portions 24, 26, 28 and 30 terminating in respective
substrate edges 32, 34, 36 and 38, and four corner marginal portions 40,
42, 44 and 46, also surrounding the main portion 20. Each of the edge
marginal portions 24, 26, 28 and 30 and each of the corner marginal
portions 40, 42, 44 and 46 shares a respective boundary with the main
portion 20, the respective boundaries comprising segments of the boundary
22 depicted in phantom.
Substrate indicia 50 are provided on the front side 14 of the substrate 12,
in the representative form of a baseball player 50. It will be
appreciated, however, that the substrate indicia 50 is not so limited, and
may comprise a player of any sport, any person who is to be featured on a
collectible trading card, any image in general, or even mere information
presented as writing.
For decorative purposes, the main portion 20 includes design elements in
the form of raised or embossed areas 52. FIG. 2 depicts the same embossed
areas from the rear side, which are in the form of corresponding
depressions 52'. Advantageously, the card 10 may be included in a set of
cards having different indicia 50, but wherein the embossed areas 52
comprise design elements common to all the cards of the set. Printed
design elements may or may not coincide with the embossed areas 52,
depending upon the particular design of the card 10.
Adjacent the substrate rear side 16 is an insert sheet 56 having an exposed
side 58 facing away from the substrate 12 rear side 16, with insert sheet
indicia such as textual material 60 on the insert sheet 56 exposed side
58. The insert sheet 56 may be made of a variety of materials such as
metal, metal with printed indicia 60 metal with printed indicia 60 and
embossing 61, polished metal, mirror-like polished metal, glass, mirrored
glass, glass with indicia printed thereon, or plastic. A plastic insert
sheet 56 may have printed indicia 60, with or without embossing 61. In the
case of a glass insert sheet 56, indicia thereon is preferably on the side
facing the substrate rear side 16, visible through the glass.
To retain the insert sheet 56 in position, and also to form a smooth
continuous bead 62 around the entire periphery of the card 10 without any
exposed sharp edges, the edge marginal portions 24, 26, 28, 30 and the
corner marginal portions 40, 42, 44 and 46 are rolled towards the
substrate 12 rear side 16 and then around, such that the substrate edges
32, 34, 36 and 38 contact the exposed side 58 of the insert sheet 56. To
avoid interference when the side marginal portions 24, 26, 28 and 30 are
rolled, the blank 18 (FIG. 5) has concave cutouts 66, 68, 70 and 72 at the
corners thereof.
It is significant that each of the corner marginal portions 40, 42, 44 and
46 has material remaining between the respective concave cutout 66, 68, 70
or 72 and that portion of the boundary 22 shared by the particular corner
marginal portion 40, 42, 44 or 46 and the main portion 20. This is
particularly evident in the partially formed view of FIGS. 6 and 7, where
material remains on the side of the partially-formed piece as indicated at
74 and 76. In the finished card 10, the result is manifested as may be
seen in the enlarged corner view of FIG. 4, as well as in the cross
section of FIG. 4A wherein a corresponding portion 62' of the rolled edge
or bead 62 runs entirely around the depicted upper corner of the card. A
terminating point 78 of the cutout 66 of FIGS. 5 and 6 becomes in the
finished card 10 of FIGS. 4 and 4A, the point 78. The side edge 80 of the
cutout 66 of FIG. 5 becomes in the finished card 10 the side edge 80
visible in FIG. 4 and in full in FIG. 4A.
Although aspects of the manufacturing process have been mentioned
hereinabove, the manufacturing process for the card 10 will now be
described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 5-8.
Typically, the manufacturing process begins with a large "tin" sheet (e.g.
thirty six inches by twenty nine and one-half inches) being printed in a
four color process, employing an automatic printing press which feeds into
a drying oven. Typically, images for approximately sixty to eighty trading
cards 10 are printed on each of the large sheets. A suitable material is
known as steel sheet, and is approximately 0.009 inch in thickness. The
finished cards 10 are approximately 21/2 by 31/2 inches in size, with a
bead 62 thickness of, for example, 3/32 inch.
The approximately sixty to eighty images or substrates are then
individually cut from the large printed sheets, and are transferred to
presses which cut the substrates to exact size, as represented in FIG. 5.
Typically, a first punch or press having appropriate tooling is employed
to cut away any excess tin sheet to form a rectangle, and then a second
punch or press having appropriate tooling is employed to remove material
to define the concave cutouts 66, 68, 70 and 72.
Subsequently, a third punch or press is employed to bend the edge marginal
portions 24, 26, 28 and 30 and the corner marginal portions 66, 68, 70 and
72 towards the substrate rear side 16, resulting in the configuration of
FIG. 6. The forming operation of this third press deforms the metal in a
manner related to that of a drawing operation, wherein a degree of metal
stretching occurs in a transformation from a flat configuration to a
three-dimensional configuration. Again, appropriate tooling is employed.
In addition, either prior to or immediately after the forming operation of
the third press, a press with suitable embossing dies is employed to form
the embossed areas 52 in the main portion 20. As noted hereinabove, the
embossed areas 52 may or may not correspond to printed design elements,
depending upon the design of the particular card 10 or set of cards 10.
Next, as is represented in FIG. 8, the partially formed card of FIG. 6 is
turned over, and a previously-prepared insert sheet 56 is placed in the
recess 82 resulting from the bending of the side marginal portions 24, 26,
28 and 30 and the edge marginal portions 40, 42, 44 and 46 towards the
rear side 16.
Finally, the marginal portions are rolled so as to form the bead 62 and
retain the cardboard insert sheet 56 in position. During this final metal
forming operation, particular care is taken, employing suitable tooling,
so as to provide round corners without exposed sharp edges, the result of
which is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 4A described hereinabove.
Referring next to FIGS. 9 and 10, FIG. 9 depicts a boxed set 100 comprising
a plurality of metallic trading cards 10, each orientable (with reference
to FIG. 1) so as to have a lower edge 102 and two side edges 104 and 106.
The cards 10 are contained within a storage tin 108, which is in the form
of a generally rectangular receptacle having a bottom 110 and four upright
sides 112, 114, 116 and 118. A press fit cover or lid 122 is provided,
having a rolled edge 124, and a bead 126 is formed on the sides 112, 114,
116 and 118 of the receptacle, corresponding to the closed position of the
lid 122. Although not illustrated in FIG. 9, preferably the storage tin
108 and cover 122 are provided with decorative designs, printing and
embossing.
Within the tin 108, and best seen in the exploded perspective view of FIG.
10, are a lower card support member 130, and a pair of side card support
members 132 and 134. The card support members 130, 132 and 134 have
corresponding channels 136, 138 and 140 for respectively receiving the
lower edges 102 and the side edges 104 and 106 of the cards 10.
Illustratively, the card support members 130, 132 and 134 comprise
vacuum-formed or molded plastic elements. However, it will be appreciated
that the card support elements 130, 132 and 134 may take a variety of
forms.
FIGS. 11-18 depict another embodiment of the invention, which is a foldable
dual-medium article in the representative form of a greeting card 150. The
greeting card 150 includes a pair of nearly identical rectangular elements
152 and 154 which are joined by a hinge, generally designated 156, and
which generally comprise the front and back of the greeting card 150.
Although the elements 152 and 154 are shown as rectangles, it will be
appreciated that various other polygonal shapes may be employed.
It will be appreciated that the greeting card 150 is similar in appearance
to conventional card stock folded greeting cards, with the exception that
the front and back elements 152 and 154 each are constructed in a manner
similar to the metallic trading card 10 of FIGS. 1-10. Two parts are thus
combined, namely a metal substrate and an insert sheet, with rolled edges
of the metal retaining the insert sheet in position. In addition, to form
the hinge 156, the rolled edges are modified so as to form interdigitated
sleeve elements which are part of the hinge 156. The resultant article is
attractive and durable.
More particularly, the polygonal elements 152 and 154 comprising the front
and back of the card 150 comprise polygonal metal substrates 160 and 160'
having outer sides 162 and 162', inner sides 164 and 164', main portions
166 and 166', pluralities of edge marginal portions 168 and 168'
terminating in respective substrate edges 170 and 170', and pluralities of
corner marginal portions 172 and 172', all generally in the same manner as
is described hereinabove in detail with reference to the metal trading
card 10 of FIGS. 1-10.
Adjacent the inner sides 164 and 164' are insert sheets 174 and 174', the
insert sheets 174 and 174' having respective exposed sides 176 and 176'
facing away from the inner sides 164 and 164'. The insert sheets 174 and
174' are retained by rolled substrate edges 170 and 170', likewise in the
same manner as the card 10.
At least a portion of one of the edge marginal portions 178 and 178' of the
elements 152 and 154 comprises an element of the hinge 156. More
particularly, sleeve elements 180 and 180' for the hinge 156 are formed in
at least a portion of the edge marginal portions 178 and 178'.
As is perhaps best seen in FIG. 12, the sleeve elements 180 of one of the
article elements 152 are interdigitated and aligned with sleeve elements
180' of the other of the article elements 154, and a hinge pin 182 is
positioned within the aligned sleeve elements 180 and 180'. The
interdigitation is further represented in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18.
Since the constructional details of the elements 152 and 154 are generally
as described hereinabove with reference to the metal trading card 10 of
FIGS. 1-10, further details thereof are not repeated here.
Indicia 184 (FIGS. 16 and 17) are printed on the outer side 162 or 162' of
at least one of the metal substrates 160 or 160' as is appropriate for the
example of a greeting card. At least one of the insert sheets 174 and
174', in this example the insert sheet 174', has indicia 186 on the
exposed side 176' thereof.
Referring next to FIGS. 19-21, represented is the manner in which the
construction of the dual-medium trading card 10 of FIGS. 1-10 can be
extended to any polygonal dual-medium article in general. For purposes of
example, the article of FIGS. 24-26 is shown as a bookmark 250, having
indicia 252 on the metal front side 254 thereof, and indicia 256 printed
on the insert sheet back 258 thereof. In all other respects, the
construction of the bookmark 250 is the same as that of the trading card
10 of FIGS. 1-10, and that description accordingly is not repeated here.
Referring finally to FIGS. 22-29, depicted is yet another embodiment of the
invention comprising a container 300, which may comprise a gift greeting
box. The container 300 includes a generally rectangular metallic
receptacle 302 having a bottom 304 and four upright sides 306, 308, 310
and 312 having respective upper edges 314, 316, 318 and 320. Any suitable
article, such as an attractive scene reproduced using three-dimensional
techniques (not shown) may be contained within the receptacle 302.
The container 300 additionally has a generally rectangular cover 322 which
is similar to either of the hinged front and back elements 152 and 154 of
the greeting card 150 of FIG. 11. The cover 322 thus comprises a generally
rectangular metal substrate 324 and an insert sheet 326 retained in
position by rolled edges 328 (FIG. 34). The cover 322 is joined to the
receptacle 302 by means of a hinge 330, similar in construction to the
hinge 156 of FIG. 11.
As best seen in FIGS. 28, 29, 33 and 34, the hinge 330 thus comprises
sleeve elements 332 on the cover 322 interdigitated and aligned with
sleeve elements 334 on the upper edge 316 of the rear side 308 of the
receptacle 302, with a hinge pin 336 positioned within the aligned sleeve
elements 334.
For proper clearance, and as best seen in FIG. 29, there are gaps 338
between the sleeve elements 332 and 334, and the cover hinge sleeve
elements 332 are nested within clearance notches 340 (FIGS. 30 and 31)
formed in the receptacle 302 rear side 308. For clarity, FIG. 30
illustrates the structure at an intermediate point during manufacture,
prior to forming of the sleeve elements 334.
As seen in FIG. 34, the upper edges 314, 316, 318 and 320 of the receptacle
302 sides 306, 308, 310 and 312 have a protective rolled edge 342.
Finally, appropriate indicia 344 is printed on the bottom side of the
insert sheet 326, and a scene or other indicia 346 is printed on the metal
top of the cover 322.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and
described herein, it is realized that numerous modifications and changes
will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understood
that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and
changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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